Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (L), U.S. President George W. Bush (2L),
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (2R) and Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) walk to the podium for their final statements at the end of the Middle East summit in Aqaba (June 4).
©2003 Reuters/Ali Jarekji
On May 28, 2003, the White House announced that President George Bush would travel to Aqaba, Jordan, on June 4 for a meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan and for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
In his statement following the Aqaba meeting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon referred to the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state within temporary borders, if the conditions for this are met. The Palestinian state will, inter alia, be completely demilitarized. This state will be the home of the Palestinian diaspora; no Palestinian refugees will be permitted to enter the territory of the State of Israel.
Below are selected statements and background material which are relevant to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in general, and the Aqaba Summit in particular.
Final Statements after Summit (June 4):
Statement by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - June 4, 2003
Final statements after Aqaba Summit - June 4, 2003
Israel Government Texts:
Statement from PM Sharon's Office following meeting with Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas - May 29, 2003
Goverment meeting about the Prime Minister's statement on the Roadmap - May 25, 2003
Statement from PM Sharon's Bureau - May 23, 2003
Official US Government Material:
Statement by representatives of the Quartet after meeting in Jordan - June 22, 2003
Statements by President Bush and President Mubarak of Egypt, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt - June 3, 2003
The Aqaba Summit - The Middle East: A Vision for the Future (US State Department)
A Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - April 30, 2003
Speech by U.S. President Bush - June 24, 2002
Israeli Policy Statements:
Time to answer call of peace, by FM Silvan Shalom - The Sydney Morning Herald, June 4, 2003
Statements to the press following meeting of Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw - May 15, 2003
Joint Press Conference by PM Sharon and U.S. Secy of State Powell - May 11, 2003
Joint Press Conference by FM Shalom and U.S. Secy of State Powell - May 10, 2003
Address by President Moshe Katsav to the Diplomatic Corps on Independence Day - May 7, 2003
Stakeout with FM Shalom after meeting with Secy of State Powell - March 31, 2003
Address by FM Silvan Shalom to the AIPAC Policy Conference - March 30, 2003
Speech by PM Ariel Sharon at the Herzliya Conference - Dec 4, 2002
Background on Israel-Palestinian negotiations:
Guide to the Middle East Peace Process: Israel-Palestinians
- Past agreements (since September 1993)
The Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David, July 2000
Maps:
- Map of Israel and the Palestinian Authority areas
- Map of the West Bank
- Map of Jerusalem and surrounding area